Mobile support for casket lowering equipment



March 7, 1950 H. H. CAMPBELL mam SUPPORT FOR CASKET LOWERING EQUIPMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1948 March 7, 1950 H. H. CAMPBELL MOBILESUPPORT FOR CASKET LOWERING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 14,1948 M WK WWW/W rm ##a/me .r

Patented Mar. 7, 1950 so PAIFE NT ore-ice mlmfsnreeonr FOR GASKET.LQWERINGV EQUIPMENT.

This inventionrel EST t0 cemetery, emiipment and particularly to: animprovement? in" mechannisms comprising, aim'obile support for"equipmentnal and transverse members" rig-iiily c'omrectingc the corner"posts, the; apparatus" also including" two parallel elongated rotatablysupported memtb'ers aboutwhiclr the casket supportingbands" are:initially wound and means for permitting; these members to rotate slowlyand at uniform speed under the Weight of the casket so ast'to pay outthecasket supporting bands" at a uniform rate:

and ensure properd'escent: of the casket. While:-

apparatus; of the character just. above briefly described are; inwidespread; use;v no satisfactory means has heretoforebeeni devisedwhereby; such an apparatus: may be transported. from a: point of storageto a point of" use, properlyspositioneu at the graveside, and? againlifted and. returned to storage, without: the: expenditure or consider.-able time and effort: on. the: part; of. a. number of attendants. p

The present invention cont'emplatfesv the pro:- vision of. a; novel,assembly of frametand mobile support which maybe readily removedzfromstorage by a single: attendant; the frame: properly positionedatitl'i'egraveside and returned" to sum age: afterithas'been usedgall in a.minimum time and" with minimum: effort; The casket lowering frame". ofthe: assembly constructed" in: such manner that it" may beconvenientliit engaged, lifted. lowered? anct ifranspvu-ted by -the"mobile support andl a mobile support isfl-cl' signed and constructed in.suchmarmer as to zenab'leit" to function: mustefllbiently intheliftifis; Towering and transportation ofthe frame; Such supportcomprises a structure mounted upoir wheels" r0- tat able about a commonthe support being tiltal'yle fron'r at horizontal to a. verticalposition and being used; irr the" elevation and lowering of one end ofthe frame; in the mannerlof' a. lever, having arms which are? unequal inlength so that the operator can lift the end: of a-h ea'vy" frame withbut slight effort. Themobile support may; after one end of the" framehas thus -been' lifted from the ground and; while at end" is st ll at"rest on the ground, move the bile support .eneath the frame. aninterposed tfevfcepermitting? this to altogether and; by a Harry mcampbe11, K'alispelh. Mont;

A pplicationiiMayfl, 1948,. Serial'Nb. 27,091 mifllai msa (Cli21'4-7-'7I) the" expenditure of" very little: efiort. Finally; when themobile support has been moved= into a predeterminefi position beneaththe frame it maybe; by" a slight tilting'movement; caused to engage theframe at additional points of" support; there being preferably threesuch points slight further tilting movemeritthe entire frame lifted fromthe ground, whereupon the assembly may be moved freely and easily;

Itvvill' be appreciatedthatthe details of design and arrangement of theparts of the two members of the" assembly; 1; e.- the frame and mobilesupport, may be'considerably modified without'loss of" advantage but inevery instance" the? frame will include means t'obeengaged by thesupportwhile thesupport is'b'eingoperated as a. lever to lift or'lowert'he'frame end, and the same or different' means to continuously engage anelongate'iff member on trackWay'o-n' the supportas the support is movingunder'the frame or is being withdrawn. That form of the invention: whichis illustrated and now to be described in detail is set' forth by" wayof example.

In the drawings:

Figure. 1' is" a top plan view ofthe-mobile supp Figure 2' is a:perspective viewof the same;

Figure 3"iS" a; section on line 3-'-3 of Figure the frame being shown indotted l nes in the posit'io-n which it'normally occupies upon themobile support" when the assembly is readyfor trans port'atiom.

Figure 4 is "a: side elevation of the frame and mobile support, thoseportions of the assembly occupying the relative positions in which theyare disposed just" prior-toactuation of the support" to elevate theendof the frame:

Figure 5' is" a similar side elevation showing in 7 full lines the frameand supporti'n the positions whi'ch' they respectively" occupy after thesupport hns'b'e'en' operated as asimple-lever to elevate the end of theframe; the relative posit ons of the frame" and support; after thesupport; has" been partially moved under theframe'; being illustrait-edin dotted'li'nesin this figure;

Figure 6' a side elevation" of" the assembly, ready for" transportat onFigurefl a perspective view; on a: somewhat larger scale. of' adetail ofthe invention; and

Figure" 8 is. perspective View ofa similar d'e tail of 2c modified formof the invent on.

The'automat ccasi'ietlowering-mecharr sm, here afterdesigneftedtheframe. indicated attG and the mobile; support: is generally"imiiizsuzeni'v at S;

The frame includes parallel elongated side members, one of which isillustrated at Ill, parallel transverse members H, four corner posts I2to which the ends of the members In and ll are rigidly secured, andparallel side shafts l3 the ends of which are rotatably supported withinthe housings l4 mounted upon the corner posts 12. The shafts l3 areconnected by the casket supporting bands [5, the ends of which arewrapped around the shafts respectively, and the arrangement is such thata casket placed centrally upon bands IE will be allowed to descend intoa grave under the close control of an operator who, by manipulatingmechanism which is not illustrated but which is Well known in the art,will permit shafts iii to slowly rotate at identical speeds and pay outeach band in equal increments from opposite sides of the grave.

The details of construction of the frame or automatic casket loveringmechanism form no portion of the present invention and are for. thatreason not specifically described. It has at each end a transverselyextending bracing member 16, disposed below the brace ll previouslyreferred to and upon one such transverse brace, as may be most clearlyseen in Figure 7, is affixed a bracket [8 which carries a grooved roller19. Roller I9 comprises an anti-friction device which facilitatesrelative longitudinal movement of frame and mobile support in assemblingor disassembling these two major elements of the invention.

The mobile support includes an axle disposed horizontally and upon theends of which are rotatably mounted suitable wheels 2! preferablyequipped with pneumatic tires. Disposed at right angles to the axle 20and extending forwardly from the mid-point thereof is an elongatedstructural member or tongue 22, preferably tubular, the end of thismember being preferably welded to the axle. At its forward end themember is provided with a hook 23 by means of which the mobile supportmay, if desired, be attached to another vehicle but which, when not soused, may conveniently be grasped by an operator. tending upwardly fromthe mid-point of axle 20 are two tubular elements 25 and 26 whichcomprise supports for the rear end of the elongated tubular or rod-likeframe engaging member 28. The forward end of member 28 is secured,preferably by welding as at 29, to the main frame member or tongue 22.One end of member 23 is provided with an upwardly extending curved orhook-like portion 280. of reduced section and, adjacent its other end,there is located a rigid stop 3B,'the upper surface of memberla betweenthe hook-like terminal portion 28a and stop 39 comprising a runway ortrack for the grooved-anti-friction roller l9 mounted upon the end ofthe frame. T The mobile support also includes suitable additionalbracing members including the transverse wardly turned and is connectedto a bracing element disposed radially of the adjacent wheel and 4 thelower end of which is mounted upon the axle of the wheel, these bracingelements being indicated at 31a and 38a, respectively. Horizontal braces40 and 4| connect the ends of the wheel axle respectively to the ends oftransverse rod 32.

The details of construction of the mobile support may be considerablyvaried but in every instance the support will include a member such asmember 2B,.which provides an elongated trackway or runway for ananti-friction roller. In each embodiment, also, the hook 28a or itsequivalent will be disposed relatively close to the axle 2B, the supportas a whole thus comprising a lever having a'short arm the length ofwhich is equal to the distance between the axle 20 and the hook 28a, anda relatively long arm the length of which is equal to the distancebetween the axle 20 and'the hook 23, the support when used as a leverthus providing the operator with great mechanical advantage.

Normally, and while the assembly isin storage, the frame will besuperposed upon the support. Actually the. frame has direct contactwiththe support at three places, its elongated side members ll! engaging andresting upon the transverse member 36, the pointsof contact beingadjacent the outer ends of member 36, and the roller [9 engaging, member28 just in rear of the stop 30, the roller resting against the stop.Thus the frame is mounted upon the support firmly at three points andmay not tilt or slide. Preferably the cross member 36 ,is provided withrubber cushioning sleeves s3 andit is upon these sleeves #3 that theelongated frame members I!) of the frame rest.

' If it be assumed that the frame. of the apparatus has been 'used inthe lowering of a casket and is to be removed for storage. the mob lesupport will be wheeled into the position in which it is illustrated inFigured, being disposed in such manner that the tongue 22 extends in asubstantially vertical direction, the hook-like end 28a of member 28being then dis osed beneath theroller 69 of the frame. The entiresupport may then be rocked about its supporting axle in a clockwise,direction, into .the position in which it is shown in full lines inFigure 5 the ad acent end of the frame being thus elevated well abovethe ground. The mobile support may then be advanced or thru t beneaththe frame, one end of which enga es the ground, the roller [9 rollingalon the upper surface of the moving roller support 128 and maintaininga single point of contact between the support and the elevated end ofthe frame. .This forward movement of the support is continued, throughthe dotted line position inwhich it is shown in Figure 5, until theroller-!9,reachesjthe stop 39, thuspreventing further movement, thewheels 23 being so spaced apart .that they will be upon opposite sidesof a grave opening of standard width about which the frame is-centered.After rol er is has made contact with stop 30 and forward movement ofthe support is thus arrested, the operator will depress the forward endof the tongue 22 and thus bring the cross .bar 36 upwardly into contactwith parallel elongated members lilof the frame and, upon slight furtherdepression. of the .tongue .22, the cross bar will. lift the frameentirely from -When the apparatus is brought from storage to be used theprocedure thus described will be reversed, the mobile support beingtilted until one end of the frame engages the ground, as in Figure 5,the support being withdrawn until the roller I9 is in engagement withthe hook-like extremity 28a of member 28 and the support then allowed totilt into vertical position as shown in Figure 4, whereupon the frame isfully positioned and the support may be withdrawn and removed from thevicinity.

It may be desirable to provide the support with two parallel rollerengaging members to give increased stability, such a mechanism beingillustrated in Figure 8. Here the parallel roller supporting members aredesignated 46 and there will likewise be two anti-friction rollers 41included in the anti-friction device, these rollers 41 being mountedupon an axle 28 the ends of which are fixed in parallel portions 49 and50 of the bracket B which is mounted upon end member I 1. Other minorchanges may readil be effected if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. Casket lowering mechanism comprising a rectangular frame and a mobilesupport therefor, the assembly being tiltable about a horizontal axis tobring one end of the frame into contact with the ground and includinganti-friction means between frame and support to facilitate movement ofthe support relative to the frame when the end of the frame is incontact with the ground.

2. Casket lowering mechanism comprising a rectangular frame and a mobilesupport therefor, the support being tiltable to bring the frame intoinclined position with one end thereof in contact with the ground,anti-=friction 'means interposed between frame and support comprisingthe sole contact therebetween when the support has been tilted and theend of the frame has been brought into contact with the ground, wherebythe support may be freely withdrawn from beneath the frame.

3. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, an elongatedframe and a tiltable wheeled support therefor, said frame having ananti-friction device at one end and the support having means to engagesaid anti-friction device to facilitate raising and lowering of that endof the frame and movement of the support longitudinally of the frame.

4. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, a frame and amobile support therefor, the support being tiltable about a horizontalframe at one end, lifting that end when the support is tilted, andmaintaining said end elevated as the support is moved under the frame,said means including an elongated member disposed at right angles to theaxis about which the support is tiltable.

6. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, a frame and amobile support therefor, the support being tiltable about a horizontalaxis, and means on the support for engaging the frame at one end,lifting that end when the support is tilted, and maintaining said endelevated as the support is moved under the frame, said means includingan elongated member having a hook at one end to engage the frame, saidmember being disposed at right angles to the axis about which thesupport is tiltable.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which the frame is providedwith anti-friction means to engage said member.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 in which said support isprovided with members to engage the sides of the frame to provide threepoints of contact between frame and support.

9. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, a rectangularframe, a wheeled support tiltable about a horizontal axis, said supporthaving three point engagement with said frame when the support isdisposed for movement of the assembly and having one point engagementwhen the support is tilted to bring one end of the frame into contactwith the ground.

10. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, a rectangularframe, a wheeled support tiltable about a horizontal axis, said supporthaving three point engagement with said frame when the support isdisposed for movement of the assembly and having one point engagementaxis, and means on the support for engaging the frame at one end,lifting that end when the support is tilted, and maintaining said endelevated as the support is moved under the frame.

5. Casket lowering mechanism comprising, in combination, a frame and amobile support therefor, the support being tiltable about a horizontalaxis, and means on the support for engaging the when the support istilted to bring one end of the frame into contact with the ground, thesingle point of engagement being provided by an antifriction devicemounted on said frame and an elongated member on said support engagingsaid device.

HARRY H. CAMPBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 643,933 Bencer Feb. 20, 19001,501,609 Linden July 15, 1924 1,847,157 Wilhelm, Sr. Mar. 1, 19322,135,857 Stahl Nov. 8, 1938 2,218,286 Lampe Oct. 15, 1940 2,374,383Sampsell Apr. 24, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 720,811France Dec. 12, 1931

